Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

Hicks Undergraduate Library Hosts ‘Dust Bowl’ Historical Exhibit through Oct. 10

September 5th, 2014

The Hicks Undergraduate Library is pleased to announce that we will be hosting a new exhibition this fall from the American Library Association titled, “Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry.” Through October 10^th, the exhibition and related programs will be available for all library visitors to learn about the Dust Bowl, one of the worst man-made ecological disasters in American history.

The exhibition recalls a tragic time in our history and explores its environmental and cultural consequences. Visitors will explore several thought-provoking questions: What caused fertile farms to turn to dust? How did people survive? What lessons can we learn? Audiences will explore this time period as the exhibition delves into the history and geography behind the Dust Bowl.  It also delves into the human element through the words of the survivors themselves, showing what it was like to live through such a difficult time.

The exhibition was organized by the American Library Association Public Programs Office, the Oklahoma State University Library, and the Mount Holyoke College Library. It was made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry will be accompanied by a series of free library programs, including lectures and film screenings:

September 9, 2014 – 7:00pm*

Hicks Undergraduate Library – Room G980D

The Dust Bowl: Causes and Consequences

Presenter: Dr. R. Douglas Hurt – History Department Head

September 16, 2014 – 7:00pm*

Prelude to the Dust Bowl: Drought and Depression in the 1890s

Presenter: Dr. Susan Curtis – Professor of History

September 24, 2014 – 7:00pm*

The Politics of the Dust Bowl: Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck

Presenter: Dr. Harry Targ – Professor of Political Science

September 25, 2014 – 7:00pm

Dust Bowl Women

Presenter: Dr. Pamela Riney-Kehrberg – Chair – Iowa State University Department of History

October 1, 2014 – 7:00pm*

Sanora Babb: Whose Names are Unknown

Presenter: Dr. Bill Mullen – Professor of English & American Studies

October 8, 2014 – 7:00pm

The Plow that Broke the Plains – The Dust Bowl Documentary

Presenter: Dr. Otto Doering – Professor of Agriculture Economics

Each presentation will be held in Hicks Undergraduate Library, Room G980D.  They are free and open to the public.  Light refreshments will be served.  If you have any questions about the display or presentations, please contact Ann O’Donnell (atodonne@purdue.edu, 765-496-1498) or Emily Heitman (eheitman@purdue.edu, 765-494-6732).

You can also visit our website: https://www.lib.purdue.edu/dustbowl

* Sections of the Ken Burns documentary, The Dust Bowl, will be aired during these presentations.